Sword Lilies
by Aithril the Elf-Maiden
Summary: After yet another fight, Kagome returns home... and stays there for quite a while. It seems that neither she nor Inuyasha are willing to forget their anger and overcome their stubborness. Is this truly the end? InuKag- One-shot song ficcy.


**A/N:** Right, here's a nice song-fic I wrote when I was overtired and studying for finals. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha. However, I do own a pair of clean socks. That is all that matters.

**Summary: **After yet another fight, Kagome returns home... and stays there for quite a while. It seems that neither of them are willing to forget their anger and overcome their stubborness. Is this truly the end? Inu/Kag- One-shot.

Key-

**Bold: **Song- "Making Out" by No Doubt  
_Italics: _Thoughts or memories

* * *

**Sword Lilies  
_By Aithril the Elf-Maiden_  
**

* * *

**Yeah...**

Oh, gods, she'd really done it this time.

Kagome threw open the shoji and flew up the stairs in a saddened rage. She marched down the hall to her room with her breath hitching in her throat and slammed the door behind her.

"Kagome?" She heard her mother call from at the bottom of the stairs. The gentle sound of the closing shoji reached her ears, and she realized she'd left it open.

Sniffles escaped her as she moved toward the bed- and was yanked backward. Her jacket, still dripping from the rain that poured down outside, had gotten caught in the door and stuck there despite her feeble tugs.

With a frustrated sob, Kagome sank to the carpet, her back to the door, and let the tears flow. The picture of Inuyasha pinned cheerily to the side of her mirror only fueled the helplessness that welled up inside her.

**I'm on the second floor with a lock on my door.  
I'm looking at a picture of your face.  
**

"Kagome?" her mother inquired again, testing the knob. It seemed locked to her and she tiptoed away to wait downstairs, knowing she wouldn't get an answer out of her daughter at the present.

For now, she was concentrating on the picture. It had been taken last May, when the sun was shining, and the wind had passed across their cheeks like a cool, soothing cloth.

She had her arms around his neck from behind, grinning the whole time and waving a hand toward the camera. Inuyasha had the most curious expression on his face. It was a mixture of surprise at being hugged, happiness at seeing her smile, and a huge fake scowl that attempted to cover it all.

**The last time I looked, you were looking really good…**

A worried frown marred Kagome's features as she snapped out of her reverie. Could they have good times like that again?  
**  
But somehow pictures fade…  
**

Kagome wiped the tears from her eyes and unzipped the jacket, leaving it caught in the door to hang like a forgotten washcloth on a faucet.

She padded across the room to her bed to flop face down on her pillow.

The phone rang.

**Then we're on the phone and we're all alone…  
**

"Hello?"

"Kagome? It's Ayume."

… **but that just ain't good enough.  
**

"Oh… hi…" Kagome's momentary hope crashed in an instant to rest in a sick lump near the bottom of her stomach. Her mouth curved in a bitter smile. Honestly, had she been expecting Inuyasha to _call_ her? Sure, he was usually calling her, but it wasn't politely. and it wasn't by way of the phone. She tore her attention back to Ayume and focused on her words.

"I was wondering, do you want to go to the shopping center this afternoon? We could-"

"Actually," Kagome interrupted. "I have loads of homework to do. Can I call you back later?"

"Oh, sure," her friend answered, puzzled. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes, yes." she answered distractedly. "I'm gonna go now, kay? See you."

"Bye."

She slammed the phone back into its cradle and rested her head against the cool wall. Exhaustion washed over her like a wave; the tears and rage had stolen most of her energy, leaving her drained and alone.

A sudden inspiration struck her. What if she returned to the Feudal Era now and apologized? Would it be too late?

_I'd seem pathetic_, Kagome decided. _I don't want to go crawling back to him, I-  
_

**I'd go around the world to see your face…  
**

_...I can manage just fine on my own. _she finished lamely.

**But that just ain't good enough.  
**

**

* * *

**

The rest of the day passed in a slow daze. Kagome remained huddled in her room, passing up dinner in favor of simply staring at the fat drops that rolled down the window.

When she woke up, she was leaning against the wall and her neck felt stiff. Kagome blinked and realized it was morning.

Her hopes soared, and she jumped to her feet to look at the window… it was still closed. There were no muddy footprints or water stains marking the papers on her desk as there would have been from the rain. Well…

Not from the rain, specifically.

But it had been a whole day already… where could he be?

Kagome yanked the jacket free of her door and tossed it onto her desk chair before venturing cautiously down the stairs. Mrs. Higurashi looked up when her daughter entered and set down her cup of tea.

The two women looked at each other silently before her mother patted one of the kitchen chairs. "Tea, Kagome?"

Nodding gratefully, she perched uncomfortably on the edge of the chair and awaited the hoard of inquiring questions.

They never came.

Instead, she was handed her tea, a warm steaming mug that was supposed to make her feel better.

In a sudden flash of deja vu, she felt worse.

A third chair had been occupied the last time they'd sat drinking tea.

**Sip my morning tea, but you're not next to me.  
**

Kagome set the cup down, feeling disgruntled.

"Inuyasha hasn't been here yet," her mother answered the unasked question.

**Here goes another day…  
**

"I know." Kagome said painfully.

Mrs. Higurashi finished the last of her tea. "Want to come to the market with me?"

Her daughter started to shake her head and was stopped with a frown.

"I'm not going to let you stay here and sulk all day, Kagome."

Kagome shrugged, unsure of whether she was shrugging apathy or disagreement, but her mother understood it as assent.

On the way home, she picked morosely at a scab that was coming loose off her leg. It was an odd shape, a weird crescent-shaped mark that she would have trouble explaining to anyone who asked.

"Oh, this? Got it off a centipede demon's fang. Yeah, that was a nasty one. Thank god Inuyasha was there to rip it away from me."

Inuyasha…

**I wonder how you are…  
**

Tearing her thoughts away from him, Kagome decided to focus on something, anything else. She turned on the radio.

That's when she knew the gods were out to torture her.

"You make me wanna la la... in the kitchen on the floor..."

* * *

Ashlee Simpson's hit song, though one of her favorites, made her want to knock her head against the car window in agony. 

_Inuyasha had wrinkled his nose in disbelief at the song. "What the hell kind of song is this?"  
_

_"Ahh, one of my favorites! Turn it up!"  
_

_Though it had been hard to convince the half-demon to enter the car and remain in his seat when it started to move, she had eventually coaxed him in with promises of ramen once they bought some at the store. Mrs. Higurashi had hid a smile as she twisted the knob on the radio slightly, causing Inuyasha to flatten his ears as the sound increased.  
_

_"You can dress me up diamonds!" Kagome began singing along, only slightly off-key. "You can dress me up in dirt! You can throw me like a line-man... I like it better when it hurts."  
_

_"She likes it better when it hurts?" Inuyasha repeated incredulously. "She likes to get hurt?"  
_

_Kagome had begun giggling furiously. "No- haha- it's innuendo!"  
_

_"In you what?"  
_

_"Never mind."  
_

_He'd gone back to sticking his head out the window and letting the wind whistle past his ears. "Feh. You humans are a strange bunch."  
_

_With a grin, Kagome had shrugged and said, "Not any stranger than some half-demons."

* * *

_

"Kagome!" Mrs. Higurashi called, interrupting her reverie. "Isn't this your favorite song?"

She made to turn up the volume.

**When our favorite music plays...  
**

"No!" Kagome said hastily, causing her mother to draw back her hand in surprise. "It's all right... it's not my favorite song anymore."

* * *

When they arrived back at the house, Kagome helped put away the groceries before running straight to her room, hoping against hope to discover muddy footprints all over her floor or even Inuyasha himself waiting on her bed. 

"Inuyasha-" She thrust open the door and cast glances wildly over the empty room.

The window was open, but there were no footprints, suggesting Grandpa or Souta had opened it to let in some fresh air. Kagome moved to the window seat and rested her head against the wall. This was getting pretty pathetic.

She casted an absent glance about the room for a book or something to keep her mind occupied. It could be anything besides the half-demon that lingered right now-

Her gaze was caught by the gorgeous flowers spilling out of a flower pot that was set on her desk. Originally, she'd kept zeraniums growing in it to brighten up the room... but with all the time she spent in the Feudal Era and the schoolwork she did when she was home, she'd forgotten to water them and the pot had remained void of life.

Brilliant red and white sword lilies filled every inch of the space now, and Kagome brushed her thumb across a petal in wonder.

_Could her mother have...?  
_

But they didn't have any sword lilies growing near the shrine, or anywhere nearby, in fact. Where could they have come from?

... it was with sheer joy that Kagome realized how she even knew the name of the flower and why it looked so familiar.

* * *

_"Come, child." Kaede had said, hobbling a stiff pace deeper into the forest and bending over. Kagome moved to help her. "Here is a flower you should know."  
_

_"What is it?" She remembered asking, and a smile had broken through the deep wrinkles in the old woman's face.  
_

_"A_ sword lily. _It had been said with such reverence that Kagome had inclined her head in surprise.  
_

_"It is a beautiful flower," she had commented.  
_

_"Yes, it is." Kaede agreed. "It has bulbs called corms that can be roasted and eaten. The corms can also be included in a mash to help a troublesome stomach."  
_

_"Why is it called a sword lily?" Kagome had wanted to know.  
_

_"Look at the shape of the petals, child!" The old woman had laughed, leaning on a cane to keep her balance. "Kneel with me for a moment."  
_

_"Are you all right?" asked Kagome, kneeling down with her. Kaede bowed her head and murmured a prayer of peace.  
_

_"I'm fine," she assured the younger girl when she had finished. "But are there no legends in your time? Sword lilies are said to mark the graves of those fallen in battle. They only grow where the valiant now rest.."_

_

* * *

_

She knew Kaede couldn't have gone through the well. Could Inuyasha have...?

**And the flowers arrived to my surprise...  
**

He'd been here? Her heart throbbed painfully in her chest as her eyes darted everywhere, perhaps hoping to see him hidden in a corner or under her desk. She didn't understand. Inuyasha usually made so much more of a mess when he came, yet not a ruffle on her bedspread was out of place, and the beige carpet remained immaculate. Besides... how had he managed to come all the way here and yet not stay to see her?

**... but that just ain't good enough.  
**

That night, she dreamt of red and white petals that fell in a steady rain around her, never ceasing, yet never adding up to anything at all.

* * *

Three days later, and Kagome had become a desperate woman. Now it seemed far too long a period to just suddenly reappear and pretend everything was fine and dandy. Inuyasha ought to come retrieve _her_, not the other way around. It was his fault anyway, the schoolgirl reminded herself time and again, but she honestly wasn't sure whose fault it was. Maybe it was both. 

And yet Kagome didn't want to rely this heavily on the hanyou who could wound her heart. She couldn't even love him freely because of his promise to Kikyo. Of course, the priestess hadn't even acted on their bargain of going to hell together, as far as Kagome knew, and was therefore dragging out the torture of being held from love as long as possible.

_Talk about showing up at the perfect time, too...  
_

Kagome's eyes darkened as she shook her mind away from the fight. No use dwelling on it. It's not like it hadn't happened before.

A knock sounded on her door. Curling up in the pillows of her bed with a book to make it look like she'd actually been doing something productive, she responded dutifully, "Come in."

The doorknob turned and the door squeaked open. Mrs. Higurashi held Kagome's jacket in her hand.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mom," the girl said hurriedly, struggling up from amidst her pillows. "There was a tear in the sleeve- it got caught in the door- and I was wondering if you could sew it up for me-"

"I already did," her mother said, dismissing the matter with a wave. "I was just wondering... did you check the pockets?"

Kagome blinked. "What?"

"Did you check the pockets?" Mrs. Higurashi repeated. "There's mud splattered all over the back of the hood, so I was going to wash it. I turned it inside out and checked the pockets... I think you should have a look."

The schoolgirl watched in puzzled bemusement as her mother deposited the jacket on her desk chair and left, closing the door behind her as if she thought Kagome might need the privacy.

_What on earth?_ She scrambled off the bed and checked the left pocket of the jacket. Nothing. After rooting around in the right (and ignoring the various bits of scrap paper, an old pen, a rubber band, and some chewing gum), she came up with an odd bit of parchment. Kagome stared at it, uncertain as to what it might contain. Overcoming her anxiety, she unfolded it with care.

**And I got the note...  
**

_Kagome,  
_

_Your window was open so I came in, but you weren't here. I brought you some flowers- they're from Sango. She thought them up. They weren't my idea.  
_

_- Inuyasha  
_

_Oh, and I'll put this on your jacket pocket. You'll probably find it later. I don't really care if you don't, I guess.  
_

**... it gave me hope.  
**

A slow smile blossomed on Kagome's face that slowly turned into a grin. Of course he would give all the credit to Sango. For one thing, Sango would have suggested actually apologizing to her, not giving flowers. For another, Kagome just so happened to know for a fact that the demon exterminator's favorite flower was the blue lupin. Besides, only Inuyasha could have found what was probably the only flower with petals that were shaped like swords.

Still, Kagome was a little disappointed that he hadn't waited. It wasn't like it was that hard to sit around her room for a little bit and wait for her to come home. Was he still mad at her? Had Sango given him the idea after all in an effort to help them resolve their little spat? Inuyasha had probably hemmed and hawwed the entire way. The corners of her mouth turned upside-down, and her happiness vanished. _That jerk...  
_

**But that just ain't good enough...  
**

She returned the jacket to the laundry room before retreating back up the stairs, lost in thought. _Maybe it was his idea and I'm not giving him enough credit._ Kagome didn't know what to think.

"Kagome! Phone!"

"I've got it, Mom!" Kagome called back, diving for the phone. She fumbled with it for a moment and finally pushed the 'Talk' button. "Hello?'

"Kagome," Ayume's voice greeted. "How's the homework going?"

"Uhh... very well. I'm almost done." She immediately felt guilty for lying. "Hey, do you want to head to the shopping district later?"

"Sure!" Ayume chirped. "I'll call Eri and Yuka so they'll meet us there."

Kagome couldn't keep a tiny grin off her face at the thought of Yuka shopping. "Yuka, too?"

"Look, we've got to get her a boy. I guess I don't mind if she doesn't like _shopping_-" Ayume paused and made a noise of disbelief. "- but she needs a man. I was thinking of helping her pick out a nice dress, too, one of those new styles that-"

The schoolgirl chatted a while more with her friend until they agreed to meet at the food court around 3:30.

At least that would keep her mind off things.

* * *

**I'm with my friends 'till the night ends**... 

"Wait, we can't leave yet! Look at those ones over there!"

"Oooh! Do you think they're taken?"

"They don't have anyone hanging off their arm, do they?"

"Nope."

"Free game!"

"Guys, it's already 9:45," Kagome said, sounding half-amused, half-despaired. She shifted the brand new purse under her arm self-consciously. "The mall closes in 15 minutes, and we've already been here _six hours._ Don't you think that's enough for one day?"

**But that just ain't good enough...  
**

Eri gave her an incredulous look. "Enough for one day? It wouldn't be enough for a lifetime!"

Kagome groaned before patting her deflated purse with a sigh. "Well, count me out. I am absolutely done for-"

She was interrupted as Yuka jabbed an elbow straight into her ribs with excitement. "Oooh! Kagome's got one!"

"What?" the schoolgirl asked. Her gaze darted to the group of guys they had seen earlier, and she did note one quite obviously checking her out.

"See? All the more reason we should go," she said with a longing look towards the main doors.

"He's nice-looking, Kagome." said Ayume enviously. Her expression brightened as she realized something. "Oh, but you have that bad boy, don't you?"

**And honestly you can trust me...  
**

Eri paused in her hair flipping to snap a horrified look on Kagome. "What! I thought we agreed you should drop him!"

"Hey, hey, he isn't bad..." Kagome laughed nervously before gulping. "That bad, anyway."

"That's it!" Yuka announced.

Ayume caught on quickly. "You've asked for it, Kagome."

"What-"

Before she knew it, Yuka and Eri had stolen her arms and Ayume was pushing her from behind. They began dragging her toward the group of guys.

"Hey!" Kagome struggled uselessly in their grip. "Wait- I-" She was shoved directly in the middle of the group by her so-called friends. Noticing that they were staring at her, she took a deep breath and took on an innocently cute expression. "Hi."

The guy that had been looking at her before smiled. "Hey, what's your-"

"These are my friends, Ayume, Yuki, and Eri," Kagome said quickly, pulling the three speechless girls in front of her. "They think you're hot."

* * *

**But that just ain't good enough...  
**

"Oh my god, Kagome!" Ayume squeaked desperately the minute they had entered the restroom. "I can't believe they wanted to hang out after you were so weird." She extracted a small bottle of foundation from her purse and began dabbing here and there, covering up the supposed imperfections of her skin.

"Geniuses are always considered weird," the other girl said in a mighty tone before running a small fold-up brush through her hair to remove the snarls.

"Riiiiight," Ayume teased. "Are you sure you won't come with us?"

"My mom's already called to say she'll pick me up in ten minutes." Kagome lied.

"Shame," murmured her friend, applying a coat of mascara over her eyelashes. "I'll call you later and tell you how it goes."

"Right," Kagome said absently as she stashed the brush back inside her purse. "See you later." She exited the bathroom with a strange loneliness that failed to cease even as her mother chattered amiably with her on the way home.

* * *

After dropping her off, Mrs. Higurashi had needed to pick up Souta from a kendo club meet. Kagome watched the car pull away from the curb, smiling a little at the honk her mother gave in farewell. Then her smile faded along with the noise of the car engine. 

It was around five in the evening, and all was pretty quiet along the road Kagome lived. The quiet rhythm of rain was the only sound, and she pulled up the hood of her jacket as the ferocity of the downpour increased.

_I can't live life like this anymore.  
_

The thought occurred to her suddenly, expressively. A prickling at her eyes and she was angry. This is _normal_ life. Why am I so unhappy? This is what I always say I want! A normal life! I've finally got it. I go out with my friends, I go to the mall, I-

Damn the sea that poured from her eyes!

Her feet caught on an uneven flagstone, and Kagome toppled onto the ground without ceremony. A half-choked giggle bubbled from her throat as she reviewed the helplessness of her situation. Her purse was getting wet. _She_ was getting wet. And she was sitting here on the ground alternately sobbing and laughing like an absolute lunatic because of _him._

Kagome suddenly sobered, gathered her absurd little purse into her arms, and stared out at nothing.

She missed him.

**I hardly can wait for us to hang out...  
**

_Oh, gods... Inuyasha!  
_

Breaking into a run, Kagome dropped the purse and it was forgotten in an instant. The heels she'd worn to the mall were beginning to hinder her and rub at her heels; she flung them off without breaking stride. Her blue windbreaker, its tear well-mended by her mother, held her back- she couldn't go fast enough! It was tossed aside as well to land in a rustling heap upon the top step.

Now the schoolgirl was dashing across the shrine grounds to the well-house. A stitch was knotting her side and her breath was ragged, but she was too glorious with realization to notice.

_Inuyasha! ... Inuyasha!_

Thorwing open the shoji, Kagome burst inside and was about to dive down the wall headfirst when she encountered an obstacle.

**I'm really missing it in so many ways...**

Wet girl met wet dog demon in a heap on the cool dirt floor.

She didn't care that he was wet or smelled faintly of dog, and she flat-out ignored the fact that she had been mad at him.

He, for his part, didn't mind that she was wet or her hair had been blown uncharacteristically wild by the storm, and all thoughts of fighting over her absense disappeared.

**I anticipate...**

"Inuyasha-"

"Kagome-"

They interrupted each other with lips as well as words.

...**us making out...**

******

* * *

**

******A/N: **Artistic License, people-

******1. Kagome has a regular door while her downstairs has shoji?  
**Yes. Yes she does.

******2. Kagome's birthday isn't April 19th!  
**Maybe in your universe. This is mine.

******3. A Sword Lily? You're making that up.  
**Nope. Check this out- http:hamakko.info/f03/030804e.html. So there. Unfortunately, it blooms in late summer and is not native to Japan... tough luck. It was too perfect not to use. : P

Review and tell me what you think.****

-Aithril ****


End file.
